Single-use plastic bags are among the ruin of our precious land and oceans. A "Science" study completed nearly eight years ago found 8 million tons of plastic was being dumped into our oceans annually. Not all of it was plastic bags, but they accounted for a significant amount.

Those 8 million tons are the equivalent of five grocery bags per every foot of coastline around the globe.

The study estimated this amount will grow to 10 plastic bags per foot by 2025 unless humans find a better way of managing and collecting garbage.

We support Salem City Councilor Tom Andersen's efforts to ban single-use plastic bags. His motion to do just that passed Monday night 8 to 1, with only Councilor Brad Nanke opposed to staff studying a ban on the bags typically used by grocery stores, retails shops, pharmacies, convenience and liquor stores.

Salem, one of the largest cities in the state and its capital, should follow the lead of Portland, Eugene, and six other cities in Oregon and ban the bags. Bend also is considering a ban.

Oregon had the opportunity in 2011 to follow-up on its groundbreaking bottle bill when Senate Bill 536 called for a ban proffered by two Republicans and two Democrats.

Had the state passed the bill, which even had the support of retailer stores such as Fred Meyer, it would have been the first in the nation to do so.

Instead of taking the lead and banning the bags, Oregon ceded bragging rights to California, which passed a state ban a couple of years ago and charges 10 cents per paper bag for folks who don't bring their own. New York state is considering a similar ban.

Since Oregon doesn't seem capable of owning the issue outright, municipalities such as Salem are left holding, ahem, the bag, to piece together their own regulations.

Many frustrated consumers are disposing of products they formerly put in the big blue bins since China stopped importing recycling from the United States in January. We need to reform consumer behavior now more than ever.

Admittedly, reusable bags take a little more manufacturing on the front end, and they do require water and detergent to keep clean.

But stop already with the "dirty bag" excuse. Show us evidence of someone who's been sickened by bacteria from a reusable bag.

And water and environmentally friendly detergents are reclaimable and offer minimal impact downstream. So enough with the "it's greener to make plastic bags" argument.

If we don't do something now, expect to see more sea turtles and other marine life choking on bags, the flimsy plastic floating on our freeways and in our forests, and the ripped remnants littering our roadsides.

Consumer behavior has forced this issue; we have only ourselves to blame.

City staff has been approved to study implementation of the ban and a pass-through fee, which retailers would charge consumers to cover the increased cost of paper bags.

Andersen, a local lawyer who represents Ward 2 in southeast Salem, showed off a cellulose biodegradable bag that is used almost exclusively in Bhutan instead of plastic, proving there are ways to keep it convenient for customers and be Earth conscious at the same time.